WHO IS BACKBONE UNLIMITED? THE STORY BEHIND THE BRAND

Who Is Backbone Unlimited?

I’m Matt Hartsky and THIS is Backbone Unlimited—

I am a husband. Married to my college sweetheart, at the time of this recording we have been married for 26 years and together for 29.

I am a father of 3 boys and adoptive parent to our 3-year-old granddaughter.

I have been a growing outdoorsman and western hunter for 33 years. I have killed dozens of elk, mule deer and pronghorn; many bears, moose, mountain goats, sheep, whitetail deer and a pile of predators, hogs, javelina, upland birds, waterfowl and African game.

For the past 5 years, I’ve also spent as much time photographing and videoing western big game as possible, just because I want to spend as much time around them as possible… it fills the gaps between hunting seasons!

For the last 29 years, I have been a college and professional strength, conditioning and nutrition coach, owning my own gym for more than 20 years.

Leading into my coaching career, I was an elite, all-conference and All-American distance runner at Adams State, while later running professionally for Reebok and Saucony while trying to make the Olympic team in the marathon.

After backing off the running, I dove into powerlifting to become a better coach, and then became a multi-time national qualifier in men’s physique bodybuilding.

Since Backbone Unlimited is an extension of my past and present failures, successes and experiences, it is a living, breathing and constantly evolving extension of my life.

And it’s more than just a name.
It’s a way of life.

It means living relentless—
In the wild… and in life.

It means standing up for what you believe,
Even when it’s hard.
Especially when it’s hard.

I built this because I’ve lived the pain of holding it all in.
I lost my oldest son to suicide when he was just 20.
And I’ve spent years trying to make sense of a world where so many people are hurting—
silently.
Quietly breaking.

This is for people like me… and like my boys.
Who love the outdoors.
Who find their peace in the backcountry, not a therapist’s office.
And who carry more than just a pack when they head into the mountains.

Backbone Unlimited is for people with guts.
Not cowards who hide behind screens,
tearing others down just to feel tall.
I’ve had enough of that noise.

And I’ve had enough of the self-doubt, the limiting beliefs,
the fake confidence,
the excuses that keep people small.
We were never meant to live that way.

That’s where Unlimited comes in.

It means no limits on what we cover here.
No fear of tough topics.
No off-limits guests.
No shame in who we are or where we’ve been.

It means chasing adventure wherever it leads—
In the mountains.
In our mindset.
And in our mission to live with more purpose, grit, and backbone.

It’s about elk and mule deer,
and the western big game we love and live to pursue, sure—
The wild ones with the antlers and horns.
I want to pass on my experiences and stories from many years of gritty hunting
so you can enjoy more success in the field.

But it’s also about the kind of backbone it takes to prepare for those hunts.
To show up when it’s hard.
To stay in it when most people quit.

That’s what we’re building here.

If you feel like you were made for more…
If you're done with giving less than your best…
If you want support in an unlimited number of areas of the outdoorsman or woman…
If you're looking for a tribe that lives real, hunts hard, and refuses to settle—

Welcome to Backbone Unlimited.

Show your backbone.
Live relentless.
Let’s get after it.